1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for tracking and reporting the use of chemicals in growing consumable agricultural products, and in particular, the invention relates to a system and method by which consumers of agricultural products can find and read the complete history of all treatment to agricultural products from the time such product was planted until it was harvested.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Federal regulations exist that require a grower to record all of the chemical applications that are performed on a given crop. Such regulations are designed to protect workers and others exposed to such chemical applications in the field. No effective method is known to exist to enable a consumer to determine the specific origin of particular produce, and to determine which produce has been treated with any chemical. Even such produce listed as xe2x80x9corganicxe2x80x9d may have been treated with some fertilizer, which is not reported to any consumer.
A need exists for a system that is intended to be used so that a consumer can obtain the complete history of chemical treatment to selected produce for purposes of making purchasing decisions. There is a need for a database, accessible by the consuming public, wherein special information can be obtained concerning selected product history. Furthermore, there is a need to provide a system that can be used by grocery purveyors, food processors and canneries to maintain more consistent product quality and reduce risk by avoiding producers not in compliance with prescribed standards.
The present invention fulfills these needs. A labeling and database management tool is provided to track produce from seed to serving.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to enable a food tracking system that avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.
Another object of the present invention is to enable consumers to learn the genetics of the seeds, the location of the farm, the fertilizers, the pesticides, and the packinghouse that handled the produce on their table.
It is a further object of the present invention to enable the Department of Homeland Security, the Food and Drug Administration and other national health agencies to instantly track the source of troublesome produce and efficiently recall if necessary.
Another object is to enable grocery purveyors, food processors and canneries to maintain quality that is more consistent and reduce risk by avoiding producers not in compliance with their standards and/or national regulations.
Another object is to motivate growers to comply with the laws protecting agricultural laborers from overexposure to harmful chemicals.
Another object is to increase efficiency of markets, up and down the food chain, by providing all participants more knowledge about the quantities and characteristics of the produce in the pipeline.
A further object of the present invention is to dovetail an identification code enabled by the present technology with uniform product codes (UPC) for checkout pricing thereby reducing the labor of preparing produce for shelving.
The various features of novelty that characterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims of this application.